


Putting the words to paper

by SinceWhenDoIWriteFanFic



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-22
Updated: 2014-04-22
Packaged: 2018-01-20 09:28:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1505339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinceWhenDoIWriteFanFic/pseuds/SinceWhenDoIWriteFanFic





	Putting the words to paper

The conference room seems cold, even with the sunlight steaming in from the floor to ceiling windows. Blaine’s palms feel sticky with sweat against the solid wood of the table as he concentrates on the singer across from him.   
She places a sheet of music back down into the stack in front of her. Looking up at Blaine, she fixes a smile on her face. “Blaine Anderson, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.”  
He smiles back at her politely. “What would be the next step?”  
“Well,” she starts, smoothing her hands across the table. “We could schedule a visit to the studio, and you could hear me sing, get to see how I work. Or I could offer you the contract right now.”  
“Really?” Blaine sputters.   
“Yes,” she tells him, laughing. “Blaine, this here is beautiful; I would love to work with you.”  
“Yes,” he breathes out, heart racing from the excitement. “Of course.”  
“Great!” she says, turning to the man beside her. “Well?” she prompts him.   
The man slides a short pile of forms across the table to Blaine. “Have your people look it over and once you sign it, give us a call,” he says.   
“No, no,” Blaine says, wincing internally at contradicting the representative for one of the biggest music labels. Scanning the document he adds, “It’s what we discussed before?”  
“Yes,” he’s assured.   
“And the payment? That’s the same?”   
“Yes.”  
Blaine’s gaze focuses on the dollar amount, and he stomach flips a little; it’s more money than he’d imagined earning so soon out of school. He’ll be able to pay his rent and keep up with his student loan payments without having to worry about turning to his parents for help. “I’ll sign it now.”  
The pen makes a nearly silent scratching noise as it moves across the page. Blaine just stares at it for a moment before looking back up.   
“Blaine Anderson, I am so looking forward to working with you,” she tells him, offering him a brief handshake before she rises from the table.   
The next few minutes pass in a blur, and before he knows it, Blaine’s stumbled to the subway.  
With a disbelieving laugh, Blaine lets himself sink against an open seat, not even worrying about the grime he’s surely wiping all over himself.   
He, Blaine Anderson, is writing an album for Broadway’s newest darling, Rachel Berry. 

**

After a few days of radio silence from the label, Blaine is roused from his sleep by his phone blaring from his nightstand.   
“Hello?” he answers, hoping that he doesn’t sound too much like he’s just woken up.   
“Hi, Blaine?” comes a chipper voice that Blaine defiantly recognizes.   
“Yes?”  
“Hi! This is Rachel. I know that we’re not scheduled to go over anything for a few weeks, but I was hoping that maybe you’d like to get together sometime today? Get to know each other a bit and talk about where I was hoping to head with the album?”  
Blaine glances at the clock and has to fight the urge to burrow his head under his pillow and sleep for hours when he sees the early hour.  
“Sure. Did you have a time in mind?” he asks, climbing out from under his blankets.  
“Would you like to come over for breakfast? I make a wonderful vegan cranberry scone,” Rachel says. “You do live in the city, right?”  
“I do.”  
Rachel gives him her address and Blaine realizes that she only lives a few blocks away.   
“Great!” she says. “I’ll see you in an hour!”

Blaine’s mother had taught him to never show up to someone’s house without a gift for the host, and while he’s certainly gotten a bit lazy with the tradition, by the time he knocks on the door to Rachel’s apartment, he’s clutching a small bouquet of flowers.  
Rachel lets out a little squeal when Blaine hands her the flowers, giving him a quick hug in thanks. “So, I did make scones. And I have fruit, too. Sound good?”  
“Perfect,” Blaine agrees, shrugging his coat off and hanging it on the rack.   
She shoots him an apologetic look. “I will admit the I’m pretty much the worst breakfast partner, being a vegan.”  
“Nonsense,” Blaine assures her. “I’m sure you’re company will more than make up for the lack of bacon.”  
Laughing, she leads him to the kitchen. “Coffee?”  
“Sure.”  
He watches as she pours two mugs of coffee, turning to hand one to him.   
“I set a table for us on the balcony,” she tells him. “There’s cream and sugar out there.”  
There’s a slight breeze out on the balcony, the sun just beginning to beat down on the city.   
“So, what made you decide to have just a single song writer?” Blaine asks her, stirring sugar into his cup. “Surely the studio could have found several, made it easier for you to record the whole thing?”  
Rachel gives a shy smile as she swallows a mouthful of her coffee. “I wanted to tell a story. I thought that working with just one person would make it more cohesive.” She pauses for a moment, fingers picking apart a scone nervously. “I never really thought they would agree to it. Broadway doesn’t necessary succeed in the mainstream.”  
“It usually helps when they’re Tony award winners,” Blaine teases lightly. When he notices her relax a bit, he continues. “What kind of sound were you going for? Mood?”  
“I was thinking a mix between pop and Broadway,” she admits. “I think that’s what I’m best at.”  
Blaine nods his head slowly, chewing a bite of scone. He takes a sip of coffee, thinking as it makes its way down his throat. There are so many things he wants to ask, but he settles on the easiest. “Tell me more about yourself?”  
Her fingers stop their twitching. Wiping them against a napkin, she laughs nervously. “There’s not much to know.”  
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Blaine denies. Why do you look so sad? he wants to ask; he recognizes the look in her eyes, the quiet hurt just under the surface.   
She looks up at him, her eyes roving over his face quickly, before she seems to deflate a little bit. “I’m sorry. I haven’t really- my roommate’s doing a national tour right now, so my social skills have been severely lacking.”  
A rush of guilt floods through Blaine as he watches Rachel hunch down into her seat. Reaching across the table, he lays a hand across her folded ones. “The only conversation I’ve had in the past week that lasted longer than a few minutes was with a juvenile delinquent who mistook me for his dealer,” he says lightly.  
Rachel snort, her hands pulling out from underneath Blaine’s to cover her face as she dissolves into laughter. He watches as her shoulders shake, and when she finally pulls her hands away, the smile on her face is real. “How do you feel about mimosas?” she asks.   
“I’m a big fan of anything that gives you a socially acceptable reason to drink before lunch,” Blaine tells her honestly, laughing a bit when she pushes herself up from the table and disappears inside.  
“Now,” she says a few minutes later, sliding back onto the balcony, an armful of things clutched to her chest, “I don’t usually drink, but…”  
“We deserve a celebration,” Blaine finishes for her. She pours them each a drink, smiling when Blaine knocks his glass against hers in a toast.   
“Why don’t you tell me more about yourself,” Rachel suggests, and Blaine can tell that she’s still uncomfortable, so he does.   
“Well, I just graduated from NYU in June. I majored in English and Literature, and my parents are still trying to convince me to apply from law school,” he tells her. “I started writing poetry in high school, and I’ve played the piano since I was little, so it seemed pretty obvious to combine the two.” He shrugs. “I like to tell stories, too.”  
“What do you usually write about?”  
“Everything. Anything.” He lets out a self-deprecating laugh. “I write about things I should talk to a therapist about.”  
Rachel smiles at that. “I think I want my album to be about moving forward from heartbreak.”  
As soon as she says it, it makes sense. “Oh?”  
“Yes, I think so.” She runs a finger around the rim of her glass. “A sort of life-goes-on message.”  
“We can do that,” Blaine tells her. “Did you want it to be vindictive or resigned?”  
“Definitely resigned,” Rachel answers quietly.   
Blaine has to physically bite his tongue to prevent himself from pushing forward and asking about it. Instead he makes a nondescript comment about the weather, and the both of them seem relieved when Rachel seems to run with it.

**  
The late August heat is almost unbearable, and the air conditioning in Blaine’s building seems to be in a constant state of brokenness. He escapes to coffee shops, museums, anyplace with air-conditioning whenever he can; it’s certainly not as often as he’d like, having to be near his piano in order to plunk out the melodies forming in his head.  
Despite the uncomfortable heat, he works quickly, putting words and music together for three songs by the time a week passes. A producer calls to check on his progress, and schedules and appointment for him to come in and present his work.   
The morning of his meeting, he wakes early, his shirt already starting to stick to his back uncomfortably. Despite running his shower so cold he’d felt breathless, by the time he makes it to the coffee shop around the corner, he’s already sweaty and sticky.   
“Blaine?” he hears someone call after him as he leaves, iced coffee in hand.  
“Rachel,” he greets her, startling a bit when she wraps him up in a hug. “How are you?”  
“I’m very well,” she answers with a bright smile. “Are you headed to the studio?”  
Blaine nods. “I hope you like what I have ready for you.”   
Rachel slips her arm through his. “I’m sure I will.”  
The meeting goes well, and when he’s dismissed, Rachel insists that he join her for lunch.   
“Thank you,” she says, tucking her credit card into the check holder and sliding it towards the edge of the table.  
Blaine’s mouth quirks into a confused smile. “No, thank you.”  
“No, no,” Rachel laughs before sobering quickly. “The songs are beautiful and exactly how I feel. Thank you.”  
“Of course.” 

 

**  
A thunderstorm rolls into the city, lasting for days. Blaine feels so uninspired, a song left half-written on his notepad on the top of his piano as he meets up with friends for lunch. Sam cancels on him for dinner, claiming he’d forgotten about a shift he’d been scheduled to work; Blaine knows by now that he means he’s met a hot chick and is hoping to lure her into bed. He wishes him luck and orders in Chinese food.   
He wakes late in the morning, padding around his apartment aimlessly before settling down at his piano to force some work out; by the time lunch rolls around, he’s finished a song. It’s dark and sad, and he’s not sure that it’s something Rachel will like, but it’s enough to get him out of his writing funk. Another song, this one much lighter, finds it’s way onto paper by the time he calls it quits for the day.   
Just as he’s considering crawling into bed and binge watching whatever piques his interest on Netflix, he gets a call from Rachel.   
“Some of my friends and I are heading out to some piano bar, and I thought you might want to join us.” she offers. “Unless you already had plans or something?”  
“No, no, I’d love to,” Blaine says, already pacing in front of his closet to pick something to wear. “Where should I meet you guys?”  
Rachel rattles off the name of the bar, giving him some quick directions. “See you later!” she chirps and then the line goes dead. 

Blaine spots Rachel as soon as he walks into the bar.   
“Blaine!” she yells cheerfully, waving him over from where she’s perched on top of a table. “I’m so glad you could join us.” She introduces him quickly to the group of people surrounding her. “Let’s get you a drink!”  
“How are you?” he asks, leaning against the bar as they wait for their drinks.  
“I need, like, three more drinks before I can handle being around them,” Rachel says, downing a shot of vodka. She shoots him an apologetic look. “I feel like I’m being smothered,” she explains.   
“Well then, we should probably do another round of shots,” Blaine suggests, smiling at the bartender as she spots them waiting.

 

“Oh, god,” Blaine gasps, jolting out of his sleep. “Where am I?”  
“Blaine? Oh, are you awake?” Rachel appears in the doorway. “Let me go grab you some water.”  
Blaine manages to get himself into a sitting position, looking around the room. There are a few pictures on the walls, most of them with Rachel. He notices a framed one on the nightstand, Rachel peeking over some boy’s shoulder, both of them grinning brightly.   
“Here you go,” Rachel says, coming back in with a glass of water.  
Blaine mumbles out a thank you before gulping down the entire glass. “How are you so smiley right now?”  
Rachel laughs. “I don’t think I had quite as much as you did.”  
Blaine tries to remember, but it’s all a bit blurry. He can remember doing shots at the first bar, and he can remember taking a cab to the second or third club, and he definitely remembers Rachel matching each of his shots, sometimes even drinking two for each of his.   
“C’mon, let’s go out for breakfast,” he says, carefully getting out of bed. “I’m going to need some eggs.”

**  
Blaine should have seen it coming. Once Blaine realizes, he sees that the hints were there all along; the multiple glasses of wine at dinner, late weeknight invitations to go out to some bar or another, stumbling into meetings and recording sessions late and unshowered, adorned with big sunglasses.   
He can’t ignore it now, not as he watches Rachel stumble down the street by herself.   
“Rachel?” he calls after her, jogging slightly to catch up to her. “Hey, Rachel,” he repeats when he gets close enough, reaching out and lightly grabbing her shoulder.   
“Blaine?” she asks, peering back at him. “Hi! What are you doing here?”  
“I was on my way home,” he tells her. “What are you doing?”  
“Oh, you know,” she shrugs. “I’m one my way to this club. My friends were supposed to come, but they’re still at the last one.”  
Blaine knows he shouldn’t let Rachel go, especially not by herself. “Hey, why don’t we go to my apartment and you can sleepover? Doesn’t that sound like fun?”  
Rachel smiles at him. “That sounds perfect.”  
He manages to get her back to his apartment in one piece, only stopping once to let her puke into the gutter.   
“Here,” he says, steering her into his kitchen and pouring her a glass of water. “Let me go grab you something to sleep in.”  
It’s only been a few moments, but when Blaine finally finds a pair of athletic shorts that will fit her, Rachel’s found her way to his bedroom.   
“Oh, Blaine,” she sighs, flinging herself onto his bed, spilling wine onto his carpet. Blaine winces when he realizes just how quickly she must have found his liquor cabinet. She raises the wine bottle to her lips and swallows. “Do you ever just…wish you could go back?”  
“What do you mean?” Blaine asks carefully.  
“I didn’t even cry,” she says. “When I found out.”  
He sits down on the edge of the bed. “When you found out what?”  
“They told me he was gone, and I just went numb.” Rachel takes another drink. “I found out that the love of my life was gone and I…I felt nothing.”  
“Rach,” he says softly, taking the bottle from her.  
She looks up at him, eyes rimmed red. “And then I got angry. I called his cell phone and I yelled into his voicemail until it cut me off. And then I kept yelling until my voice went hoarse.”  
“I’m so sorry, Rachel,” he tells her, curling up beside her. “I had no idea.”  
“I lost him and now I feel like I’m just floating, you know?”   
Blaine doesn’t know what to say, so he just presses a kiss to her hair. “Come on, lets get you into something to sleep in.”  
“It’s okay,” Rachel agrees, sitting up and stripping her dress off. “This is fine.”  
“Are you sure?” Blaine asks, getting up to offer her some clothes.  
“Yeah,” she mumbles, already nuzzling into a pillow. “Thanks though.”  
Blaine pulls the blankets over her and turns off the light.

 

He wakes up to a sore back and knocking at the door. Groaning, Blaine pulls himself up off the couch and opens the front door.   
“What are you doing here?” he asks as Cooper shoves his way inside.   
“Is that anyway to greet your big brother?” Cooper chastises, tossing his bag to the floor. “I have an audition later,” he adds as he kicks his shoes off. “And I just got off the worst flight I’ve ever been on, so I’m going to take a nap.”  
“Okay,” Blaine says to himself as he watches his brother disappear down the hall to his bedroom. Remembering, he calls out as quietly as he can, “Wait!”  
Cooper pops back into the hallway, looking delighted. “You have a naked Tony winner in your bed!” he croons.  
“She’s not naked,” Blaine says, pushing Cooper away from the room and pulling the door shut behind him.   
“Barely! You dog!”  
Blaine can feel his face flush. “Stop. She’s my friend.” Cooper wiggles his eyebrows at him, and Blaine reaches out to punch his shoulder. “Stop! You can sleep on the couch.”  
“This isn’t over!” Cooper sing-songs, flopping down on the couch.  
Suppressing a groan, Blaine drags himself to the kitchen; he’s going to need a cup of coffee. 

**

“Good morning!” Rachel greets the room brightly, hair pulled back into a messy pony tail and sunglasses perched on her face. She bends down to press a kiss to Blaine’s cheek and he winces when he smells alcohol on her breath.   
He watches as she slips inside of the recording booth, grinning brightly as she slips the headphones over her ears.   
When they play the recording back, Blaine is in awe of her talent.   
He’s also just the slightest bit concerned. 

**

“Blaine, can you come over?” Rachel asks when Blaine answers her call.   
Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Blaine turns to check the time. “Are you okay? It’s like three in the morning.”  
“Please.”  
Her words are the tiniest bit slurred, so Blaine climbs out of the bed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he promises.  
Outside, the chilly November wind bites through his coat. He ducks into one of the all night coffee shops to pick up a hot chocolate for himself and a soy chai latte for Rachel, hoping to keep warm on his walk and possibly help sober her up once he gets there.   
When he finally gets to her building, he pauses for a moment in the lobby just to warm up.   
“Hi!” she cries out cheerfully when she opens her door, quickly moving in to give him a hug.   
“Hey,” he says, giving her a quick squeeze before stepping inside her apartment. “This is for you,” he adds, handing her one of the cardboard cups.   
“Thank you.”  
Blaine looks around the living room as he unbuttons his coat. “What happened here?” he asks, noticing a broken wine glass on the floor in front of the fireplace.   
“Oh.” Rachel rubs one of her hands against her face, embarrassed. “I was trying to reach something on the mantle and I guess I just lost my balance.”  
“This?” he wonders, pointing to her Tony statuette.   
“No,” she shakes her head. “The picture next to it.”  
Blaine takes the frame into his hands carefully, noticing the photo is of her and the same boy that’s in the one by her bed.   
“That’s Finn,” Rachel tells him, taking the frame from him, fingers stroking over the glass. “This was after we won Nationals for Glee Club our senior year of high school.” She smiles up at him. “I don’t think I’d ever been as happy as I was in that moment- I was leaving for New York soon, we’d just beat our rivals, Finn and I were engaged.” Rachel shakes her head softly. “I’m rambling,” she apologizes, rising onto her tip-toes to place it back.   
“It’s okay.”  
“You know, it was his idea to put my Tony here,” she tells Blaine, fingers brushing over the base of the award. “He was helping me and Kurt move in, and I hadn’t even been cast in anything yet. But, he just came over to me and threw his arm around my shoulder and said ‘this is where you’ll put your first Tony’.” She pauses for a moment before taking a step back. “He didn’t get to see me win, though, so…”  
“I’m sorry, Rachel.”  
“I miss him so much,” she says, starting to cry a little. “And I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”  
Blaine wraps an arm around her shoulder and leads her to the couch. “We’ll figure it out together, okay?”  
“Okay,” Rachel whispers back weakly, nodding into his chest.   
Blaine strokes over her back lightly, carrying her to bed when she finally falls asleep. Once he tucks her in, he cleans up the broken glass in the living room and tidies up. 

The quiet noise of someone tinkering around in the kitchen wakes him up.  
“Good morning,” Rachel says over her shoulder, popping bread into the toaster. “Coffee?”  
“Rachel, I think you need some help,” Blaine says bluntly.  
She stills. “I don’t know what you mean.”  
“I almost never see you sober anymore,” Blaine tells her.  
“I’m not an alcoholic,” she hisses, turning to him suddenly.   
“I’m not saying you are,” Blaine says, hoping to calm her down. “But maybe a week away from the city would do you some good. Just, get away and take some time for you. To grieve and celebrate Finn.”  
Rachel stares at him for a moment. “I don’t know if the time is right.”  
Blaine steps closer to her, taking one of her hands in his. “You just finished recording the album, and if you went this week or next week, you could come back right before Thanksgiving.”   
They’re both silent for a long moment, and then Rachel leans her head against him. “I guess a little detox would do me some good,” she agrees.   
Blaine smiles. “Maybe you could go somewhere warm?”  
Rachel laughs a lightly. “That sounds perfect.”

**  
Blaine hasn’t heard from Rachel in a little over a week, not since he waved her town car off as she headed down to Mexico, so when she sends him an email asking him over for dinner when she gets back to the city, he quickly agrees.   
“I’ll be back in the early evening, but would you mind getting to my apartment early? Just so I don’t have to come back to the empty space,” she asks in a short email, and Blaine doesn’t have plans, so he heads over to her apartment in the early afternoon.   
There’s a seldom used piano in the corner of the living room, and Blaine makes himself at home, playing through the songs he’s written in the past few weeks. He’s halfway through a piece that he hasn’t found the words to yet when he hears someone behind him clear their throat.   
“Hey,” he says, turning around, expecting to see Rachel.  
An unfamiliar man stares back at him. He looks exhausted, blue eyes looking like they’re about to drift closed. “Who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?”  
“I’m a friend of Rachel’s,” Blaine answers slowly, still taking in the man’s appearance. “Are you- you must be Kurt.”  
Kurt nods, yawning. “Where’s Rachel?”  
“She’s not back quite yet.”  
“Back from where?” Kurt asks, sitting down on the couch and unlacing his boots.   
“She went out of the city for a short vacation.”  
Kurt nods to himself as he tucks his feet underneath himself. “What’s your name?”  
“Oh!” Blaine starts when he realizes he’d hadn’t introduced himself. “Blaine Anderson.”  
“What were you playing, Blaine Anderson?” Kurt asks as he pulls the blanket down from the back of the couch and covers himself with it.  
“Something I was writing- it’s not finished yet.”  
“It sounded pretty,” Kurt compliments, smiling even as he closes his eyes.   
“I should get going,” Blaine apologizes, gathering his things.   
“No, no. You should keep playing,” Kurt says, opening his eyes back up. “I don’t mind. Promise.”  
“Okay.” Blaine lets his fingers find the keys, once more losing himself in the music.   
The light streaming in from the windows dims, letting Blaine know that it’s getting later, but other than that he doesn’t keep track of time. He runs out of things to play after a while, choosing instead to pull out his notebook where he keeps his lyrics and scribbling down some new ideas.   
“Blaine?” he hears Rachel call before a lamp flickers on.   
“Hey,” he calls over his shoulder, finishing jotting down a word.   
“Oh my god,” she squeals, taking a few quick steps towards the couch. “Kurt?”  
Blaine watches as Kurt blinks awake, a smile stretching across his face as Rachel plops herself down next to him and wraps him in a hug.   
“Rachel,” he says softly, burying his face in the crook of her neck.   
“I missed you so much,” Rachel mumbles.   
He isn’t sure- Kurt’s words are muffled- but Blaine’s fairly sure he hears him apologize.   
Kurt and Rachel stay intertwined for a couple minutes, and when they finally break apart, both are sporting watery smiles.   
“I should let you to catch up,” Blaine interrupts quietly, gathering his things.   
“No, no,” Rachel protests. “Stay, you and Kurt need to get to know each other.”  
Blaine glances at Kurt, and seeing his encouraging smile, agrees to stay. “I’d love to.”  
“I picked up some food from that Italian place,” Rachel tells them. “And I’ll make a salad.”  
“Great,” Kurt says, pressing a kiss to her cheek.   
It’s like watching some well choreographed dance, Blaine thinks, as he watches Kurt and Rachel catch up; every so often, one of them will fail to find the appropriate words, and Blaine watches in awe as the other makes a face, the other immediately agreeing and continuing on with the story.   
“So how do we know Blaine?” Kurt asks after he finishes one of his tales from the road.   
“He’s writing my album!” Rachel tells him, eyes lighting up with excitement.   
“Oh, wow,” Kurt sputters. “That’s great. Have you done anything I would know?” he asks, turning towards Blaine.   
“No,” Blaine answers, trying hard to not feel bashful. “This is the first album I’ve ever worked on. I actually just graduated in June.”  
“I can’t wait to hear it,” Kurt says, looking between them. “I’m so excited for you, Rachel. You deserve it.”  
Rachel smiles at him brightly. “Thank you. And what’s the next step for you? Now that you’re here again?”  
“I don’t know,” he says with a shrug. “Isabelle told me she’s in the market for a new assistant.”  
“Oh!” Blaine can see the surprise flicker across Rachel’s face. “You’re not- I would’ve thought you’d keep performing.”  
“I don’t know yet,” Kurt repeats, and suddenly the air seems thicker from tension.   
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something wonderful,” Rachel assures him, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “If you two will excuse me, I’m going to go take a shower.”  
Blaine helps Kurt clear the table after Rachel disappears down the hall.   
“Was she drinking a lot?” Kurt asks as he starts the dishwasher. “Is that where she was? Rehab?”  
“It wasn’t rehab,” Blaine says slowly. “She just needed a detox.”  
“I never should have left,” Kurt mutters. “She doesn’t know how to take care of herself.”   
“She’s okay,” Blaine tells him, feeling uncomfortable. “I think she was just overwhelmed with everything, the album and Finn, you know?”  
Kurt stiffens suddenly. “I think you should go,” he says, eyes suddenly not meeting Blaine’s.   
“Oh.” Blaine wants to take back whatever it was that he said. “Okay. It was really nice meeting you, Kurt.”  
Kurt doesn’t respond, instead busies himself looking through the cupboards.   
Blaine spends his entire walk home replaying his words. 

**

Blaine’s out to lunch with his friend Sam when an unknown number pops up on his caller ID.   
“Sorry,” he excuses himself as he slips out of his chair to answer it, wondering who could possibly be calling. Sam just rolls his eyes, waving Blaine away. “Hello?”  
“Hi, Blaine? This is Kurt.”  
“Hi,” Blaine says, unsure of why Kurt is calling him.  
“I, um, I got your number from Rachel. I hope you don’t mind.”  
“Yeah, yeah, of course. How are you?”   
“I’m fine,” Kurt tells him with a laugh. “Listen, about the other night, I’m sorry about kicking you out like that.”  
“It’s fine.”  
“It’s not. I just… I know you’ve been a really great friend to Rachel, and I would really like us to be friends. I don’t want things to be weird between us.”  
“Really, Kurt,” Blaine repeats. “It’s okay.”  
“Either way, I was wondering if I could take you out for dinner tonight? Apologize for being rude and get to know you a little bit?”   
“Sure,” Blaine breathes out. “I’d love that.”

The restaurant that Kurt has Blaine meet him is small, tucked away in a corner of the neighborhood that he hasn’t spent much time exploring.   
“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered us a bottle of wine and appetizers to start with?” Kurt asks as Blaine slides in the chair across the table from him.   
“Fantastic.” He watches as Kurt pours him a generous glass of wine. “So, how’s your transition back to city life treating you?”  
“I’m happy to be back,” Kurt says. “But it’s so stressful. Don’t get me wrong- the tour was stressful in it’s own right. But trying to transition back to waking up at 9 to Rachel doing vocal warm-ups? Figuring out what I’m going to do for work? I’m trying so hard not to freak out about it.”  
“What did you do before you left for your tour?” Blaine wonders.   
He listens as Kurt tells him about his old job at Vogue.com, then about his switch to acting in the ensemble of an off-Broadway show. “I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunities to explore both of my passions,” Kurt says. “But, I’m still not certain what my next step is.”  
Blaine definitely understands that, and when he shares as much with Kurt, he’s rewarded with a wide smile.   
“I want to apologize for whatever it is that I said the other night that upset you,” Blaine mentions as they wait for dessert.   
“It’s fine,” Kurt says. “I just- I guess I’m still a little sensitive about Finn, too, you know?” He pauses for a moment, taking a drink from his glass. “He was my brother. I don’t know if you knew that.”  
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”  
“Thank you,” Kurt says, giving Blaine a tight smile. “He was just the greatest.”  
“I wish I could have met him.”  
There’s heavy silence for a moment before Kurt shakes his head. “So, what’s your next project once Rachel’s album is done?”

**  
“I’m nervous,” Rachel whispers to Blaine.   
“Don’t be,” Blaine tells her. “You’ve got this.”  
“It’s live television. Oh, god.”  
“Rachel,” he says with a laugh. “You’ve won a Tony. You can handle an interview, okay? And I’ve heard you sing this song, right? You bring the words to life.”  
“I do, don’t I?” Rachel agrees, preening slightly. “Thank you for coming with me. Kurt was grumpy I made him wake up early.”  
“It’s fine.” Out of the corner of his eye, he catches one of the production assistants waving Rachel over. “Go do this thing.”  
“It’s too early for this,” Kurt whines as Blaine settles down next to him. “I could’ve just watched this from the comfort of my bed.”  
“I’ll buy you as much coffee as your heart desires once she’s done,” Blaine promises, smiling when Kurt rests his head against his shoulder.   
“And a bagel?”  
“And a bagel.” He can smell Kurt’s shampoo, and it’s making his stomach flip excitedly.   
Kurt tips his head, eyes peeking up at Blaine through his eyelashes. “You’re the best.”  
Blaine hums in agreement, trying to compose himself; his little crush has gotten seriously out of control over the last few months.  
Turning his attention to the monitor, he watches as Rachel makes her way onto the stage, waving at the audience.

**  
“Isabelle, I can’t,” Kurt says quietly.   
Blaine freezes in the doorway, knowing he should leave, or let Kurt know he’s there, but he can’t move.   
“I just…You know I appreciate your support, and that I would absolutely love to. But-,” he huffs out a nervous laugh. “The timing is all wrong. I can’t just up and leave again. Not for that long.”  
There’s a long pause, and Blaine can hear a muffled voice coming from the phone. “Okay!” Kurt laughs. “I’ll keep thinking about it, but please don’t be disappointed if I don’t change my mind? I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
Blaine waits a moment before calling out. “Hey, guys!”  
“Blaine?” Kurt peeks out of his bedroom. “Hey.”  
“Ready for lunch? Where’s Rachel?”  
“Rachel was able to score a last minute appointment with that hair stylist she’s been wanting to cut her hair,” he tells Blaine, ducking back into his room and returning with a sweater. “She said she was going to text you.”  
“Oh. Did you make other plans?”  
“No,” Kurt says, rolling his eyes and bumping his shoulder against Blaine’s. “You know I enjoy our lunch dates, even when Rachel can’t make it.”  
“Good,” Blaine tells him with a smile. “And since we don’t have to worry about Rachel finding a suitable vegan option, we can even check out that new burger joint.”  
Kurt lets out a little groan. “That sounds perfect.”  
“Well, then,” Blaine teases, taking Kurt’s arm in his own. “Let’s go.”

“Are you okay?” Blaine asks as they eat. “You seem a little down lately.”  
Kurt takes a drink from his beer before he answers. “I’m fine. There’s just a lot going on at work, and with Rachel, you know?”  
“Anything out of the ordinary at work?” Blaine asks, hoping that Kurt will tell him the truth.  
“No.”  
“Well.” Blaine swallows down his disappointment. “Hopefully things will settle down soon.”

**  
“Is she okay?” Kurt wonders when Blaine comes out of Rachel’s room.  
“Yeah. Just a little nervous.”  
“Come here, your tie is crooked.”  
Blaine stands in front of him, watching as Kurt unties and then reties his tie. “Thank.”  
“You look very handsome,” Kurt compliments him.  
“So do you.”  
Kurt’s cheeks flush slightly and then he’s pulling away. “Rachel, you’re going to be late to your own debut party!”  
“I’m almost done!” comes the angry shout.   
“I’m so glad you’re coming tonight,” Kurt tells Blaine. “I honestly would not be able to handle her myself.”  
“I can hear you,” Rachel huffs as she enters the living room. “People are going to be listening to my album tonight. Important people. And what they have to say about it will decide if people actually buy it when it drops, okay?”  
“Rachel,” Blaine soothes. “Everyone’s going to love it, okay?”  
“Yeah,” Rachel agrees, trying to smile brightly. “Let’s go.”

 

People do love it. Blaine’s seen so many people go up and congratulate Rachel, and even some pass her business cards. Blaine’s been approached by a few people, too, the stack of business cards in his pocket making him feel good.   
“They really like it,” Rachel hisses to Blaine as she hands him a flute of champagne.   
“I told you they would.”  
“Blaine, I couldn’t have done this without you.”  
He shakes his head and presses a kiss to her cheek. “Rachel Berry for the EGOT.”  
Laughing, Rachel presses an answering peck to his cheek before rushing away to say hi to someone.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Kurt whispers into Blaine’s ear a little while later.  
The party’s thinned out, Rachel’s long gone to some after party. “Sure,” Blaine smiles, his face hot from drinking.  
He doesn’t say much as Kurt leads him outside and shoves him into a taxi, but he can’t help but laugh when they make their way up the stairs to Kurt and Rachel’s apartment.   
“What’s so funny?” Kurt asks with a smirk.  
“I definitely thought you were more sober than I was until I realized how much like a duck you were walking.”  
Kurt lets out a laugh too, laughing even harder when he struggles to unlock the door.   
“Come on, let’s go put something more comfortable on.”  
“Does this mean we’re having a sleepover?” Blaine asks.  
“Yes, but only because you’re my newest best friend.”  
The words make Blaine’s stomach flutter nervously, but he doesn’t say anything.  
“You really are,” Kurt says as he hands Blaine a pair of sweatpants. “One of my best friends.”  
“You’re one of my best friends, too,” Blaine promises.   
Kurt bites down on his lip, smiling shyly. Taking a step forward, he wraps his arms around Blaine’s shoulders and presses a kiss to his mouth. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he admits quietly, his breath brushing against Blaine’s lips.   
Blaine inhales sharply, his fingernails biting into the palm of his hands as he clenches his fist. “Kurt.”  
“Shh, shh,” Kurt laughs, his face buried into the crook of Blaine’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m not like…too drunk, okay?”  
“I think you might be,” Blaine offers gently. “I think I might be.”  
“Too drunk for a few kisses?” Kurt pouts.   
Blaine can’t help it, Kurt blinking slowly at him, eyes teasing. He closes the gap between their mouths, gently sucking Kurt’s bottom lip into his mouth. The room’s quite save for the too-loud noises of their mouths moving against one another’s.   
“That’s good for now,” Kurt proclaims a moment or two later, patting Blaine on the shoulder and making Blaine snort with laughter. “Maybe more in the morning?”  
“I’d like that,” Blaine tells him, changing into his sweatpants as Kurt does the same.   
“Come on,” Kurt says crawling into his bed and gesturing for Blaine to follow.  
“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Blaine wonders. “About wanting to kiss me?”  
“I’m just…afraid,” Kurt mumbles. “Always afraid.”  
The answer catches Blaine off guard, and it takes him a moment to figure out what he wants to say next. “Of what?” He doesn’t get an answer and he turns to Kurt, only to find him already asleep.  
**

Blaine wakes up before Kurt does. It’s still dark outside, and Blaine slides out from under the covers to find his phone and check the time.  
It’s still early, not yet eight, and Blaine’s considering just climbing back into bed when he catches sight of an official looking document on Kurt’s desk. He knows he shouldn’t read it, but the curiosity overwhelms him and he picks it up, eyes scanning over it hungrily.   
“Damn,” he says, impressed, as he takes in the details. He vaguely recalls an overheard conversation between Kurt and his boss, and he wonders if this isn’t what they’d been discussing.   
Not quite sure what he should do, Blaine makes his way into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. By the time he returns to Kurt’s bedroom, Kurt’s stirring.   
“Morning,” Blaine says, holding out a cup for him.   
Kurt’s eyes open wide, a look of panic crossing his face. “Morning,” he replies.   
“Coffee?”   
“Thanks.” Kurt takes a swallow from the cup.   
“I don’t know how much you remember from last night,” Blaine starts, trying to keep his voice light. “But, in any case, I’d love to pick up from where we left off.”  
Kurt lets out a surprised laugh. “Let me at least finish my coffee, first,” he says, patting the bed beside him.   
Blaine happily settles down next to him. “Can I ask you a question?”  
“Okay.”  
“Why aren’t you taking that job offer in London?”  
Immediately, Kurt stiffens. “How do you know about that?”   
“I saw some papers on your desk,” Blaine admits. “And I might have overheard you talking to Isabelle the other week.”  
“It’s none of your business,” Kurt snaps, climbing out of the bed. “None.”  
“It seems like something you’d be good at- costume design? Writing an exclusive column for the website? Why not?” Blaine presses. “It would only be a few months, wouldn’t it?”  
“Drop it,” Kurt hisses. “Just…don’t. I can’t go. I just got back, remember?”  
“Kurt,” Blaine says softly, following him over to the closet. “Last night, you told me you were afraid,” he reminds Kurt as he takes his hands. “What are you afraid of?”   
Kurt inhales sharply. “Please. Can we just drop this?” When Blaine doesn’t respond right away, Kurt gives his hand a squeeze. “Please?”   
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Blaine agrees. “Did you wanna go out and grab some breakfast?”  
“That’d be great.”

**  
“Did you sleep at all?” Blaine asks as he rouses from his nap.  
“No,” Rachel tells him, wide grin firmly in place. “Ellen, Blaine. I’m going to be singing on Ellen.”  
“I know,” Blaine says, stretching out as much as the cramped plane seats allow him to. “How long until we land?”  
“A little less than an hour,” she chirps. “It’s too bad Kurt couldn’t come with us.”  
Blaine hums in agreement. “I think he mentioned something about a special project at work.”  
“I made him promise to watch the episode, though. So he’ll see it before we get back.”  
“Are you excited about the Gala?” Blaine asks, not wanting to talk about Kurt any longer. “Pretty cool that they invited you to sing, huh?”  
Luckily, Rachel takes the hint. “I’m excited about all of the stops. I’ve never actually been to LA before.” She pauses for a moment. “I’m most excited about Ellen, though.”  
Blaine laughs. “Of course you are.”

**  
“So, what’s next for you?” Ellen asks Rachel as Blaine watches from back stage. “Are you going back to your theater roots, or another album, or what?”  
“Well,” Rachel says, stretching the word out teasingly. “I’m not really allowed to say, because the project is still in the early stages, but I think it’s safe to share that I’m definitely going to be returning to Broadway soon.”  
The audience cheers and Blaine makes a mental note to ask her about this ‘new project’.   
“How did recording an album differ from being on the stage?”  
“It was a nice change, to be honest,” Rachel answers with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the stage, but having to opportunity to do things over and over again until I got it perfect was a relief, you know? And the people I worked with were just so great. My songwriter, Blaine, he’s really become just such a great friend, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him.”  
There’s a short commercial break, and then Ellen’s introducing Rachel to the stage. Blaine’s caught off guard to see Rachel sitting down at a piano bench, and when she presses the first few notes onto the keys, he’s fairly certain he’s stopped breathing.   
“I know you’re afraid,” Rachel sings, and Blaine struggles to keep calm.  
That song certainly isn’t on her album- he’d only written it a few days ago, right after that night he kissed Kurt. He’d gone home after breakfast and settled down at his own piano with a bottle of whiskey, drinking himself blind and trying desperately to get the emotion swirling inside of him down into paper.   
And now Rachel’s singing it.   
Blaine thinks to himself that he could really use a drink.

 

“Are you mad at me?” Rachel asks as they make their way to the Gala later that evening.  
“Where did you even find that?”  
“I might have gotten bored on the flight.”   
“Rachel!” Blaine takes a deep breath. “That was private. It wasn’t even finished.”  
“It was for Kurt,” Rachel says plainly. “Well, wasn’t it?”  
“Yeah,” he admits. “It was.”  
“He’ll watch it tomorrow morning, and when we get back home, you can talk to him about it.”  
“It’s not that easy,” Blaine argues.  
Rachel just shrugs. “Maybe it can be.”

**

“Kurt?” Rachel calls out as she enters their apartment, Blaine trailing behind her awkwardly.   
“Rachel?” comes the answer in a muffled shout. A moment later, Kurt appears in the hallway, looking disheveled. “Sorry,” he says, gesturing to himself. “I was packing. You were absolutely phenomenal.”  
“Thank you,” Rachel preens before turning more serious. “Packing for what?”  
“I’m going to London for a few months. For work,” Kurt tells them, glancing at Blaine quickly. “I know it’s last minute, but it’s a really great opportunity, and I figured I should take it.”  
“That’s wonderful!” Rachel exclaims, pulling Kurt into a hug and shooting Blaine a worried look over Kurt’s shoulder. “You’re going have to tell me all about it, okay? But right now, I kind of just need to shower.”  
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Kurt nods, letting her disappear down the hallway.  
“So…” Blaine starts. “London.”  
Kurt smiles. “I figured that it was time for me to step outside of my comfort zone.”  
“Good, good.”  
“It is a really great opportunity. And,” Kurt pauses for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I feel like I’ve been stuck,” he admits. “Rachel was, too, and I know it’s not exactly the same, but doing her album really pulled her out of her rut. Maybe this could do the same for me.”  
“That’s really great,” Blaine tells him. “I’m happy for you.”  
“Thanks.”  
“When do you leave?”  
“The day after tomorrow?” Kurt answers with a wince. “It really is so last minute.”  
“Nothing wrong with last minute,” Blaine offers.  
“I guess,” Kurt agrees. “And it’s only three months.”  
Three months. It sounds so long to Blaine, almost unbearably so.  
“And I was thinking that when I get back, I might not be afraid anymore,” Kurt adds.  
Blaine’s heart stutters in his chest. “Afraid? Of what?”  
“Anything,” Kurt tells him.  
“Is that so?” Blaine muses.  
“Yeah,” Kurt agrees, reaching out and tangling his fingers with Blaine’s.

 

**

[A year and a half later]

“Blaine! She’s coming on now!” Kurt calls out, and Blaine sets down his pencil and makes his way to the living room.  
“We could just DVR it later, you know? She’d never know if we didn’t watch it as soon as it aired.”  
“She’d know,” Kurt argues. “Somehow, she’d know.”  
Blaine rolls his eyes and snuggles into Kurt’s side.   
“Our next guest just recently won her second Tony for her role of Anna in Frozen, the Musical. Give it up for Rachel Berry!” Ellen introduces and the audience claps as Rachel dances her way onto the stage.   
“You were here almost two years ago, and you teased us about a new project. I think we can all say that nobody expected something as big as the Frozen musical. How did that come about?”  
“I was actually approached by the producer right before my album dropped, at the first listen party, so it was only a few days before I was actually on the show,” Rachel shares. “I think all of us involved were hopeful that it would be successful, but I don’t think anyone ever expected it to do as well as it did.”  
“Right, right,” Ellen agrees. “You guys picked up, what, five Tony’s?”  
“Yeah, five,” Rachel affirms. “Including Best Costume Design for a Musical,” she adds, smiling softly.  
Blaine can’t help but press a kiss to Kurt’s cheek. “That’s you,” he teases.  
“Stop it,” Kurt waves him off, but he’s blushing slightly.   
“Can’t I want to appreciate how talented you are?” Blaine asks, lacing his fingers with Kurt’s, butterflies fluttering in his stomach as the metal from Kurt’s ring digs gently into his skin.  
“You’re ridiculous,” Kurt says.  
Blaine leans in and kisses the corner of his mouth. “But you love me anyways?”  
Kurt smiles, eyes softening. “Always,” he promises.


End file.
